Belgian tourist Celine Cremer disappeared in rugged Tasmanian bushland
Footage has captured the rugged terrain where a backpacker disappeared as police sought help from a bushwalker who may have been in the area.
Police are targeting a waterfall in northwestern Tasmania in their search for Belgian tourist Celine Cremer, 31, after she disappeared from a remote hiking trail on June 17.
Police have released drone footage of the area they are searching with video footage of waterfalls surrounded by dense greenery.
Rescue teams have been searching for Ms Cremer for nearly two weeks, fighting through the unforgiving terrain and dense bushland.
Ms Cremer was last seen in Waratah, near Cradle Mountain in northwestern Tasmania, on June 17 and police are now hoping to speak to a hiker who was in the area around 2.30pm on June 18.
Police target a waterfall in northwestern Tasmania in their search for Celine Cremer, 31, and a Belgian tourist, who is feared dead after disappearing near a remote hiking trail
The unforgiving terrain in the dense jungle has seen rescue teams throughout the area as they continue their investigation that has lasted more than a week
This unidentified walker could hold valuable clues to Ms Cremer’s whereabouts, Tasmanian police have claimed.
“This person is not in trouble, we urge you to get in touch as you may be able to assist us in establishing Ms Cremer’s movements before she goes missing,” a police spokesman said.
Crews battle freezing temperatures, snow, rain and dense undergrowth during their search.
Recent temperatures have diminished hopes of finding Ms Cremer alive, with her being slightly rested at the time of her disappearance.
Steep cliffs and overhanging trees also make searching extremely difficult by limiting aerial imagery and spreading the search over multiple levels of the forest.
Officers focused around Philosopher Falls waterfall on Friday, abseiling from a viewing platform to search the surrounding bushland and dense undergrowth.
Tasmania Police Inspector Anthea Maingay said Ms Cremer was feared dead after police received expert medical advice showing she could not have survived recent weather conditions had she been exposed in the wilderness.
Inspector Maingay said initial inquiries indicate Ms Cremer is an “inexperienced walker” who was only prepared for “light day travel”.
“We are continuing our efforts to locate Celine, but as we explained yesterday, we received expert medical advice indicating that recent weather conditions were unsurvivable during the time Celine was believed to have been exposed in the wild,” says Insp. Maingay said.
“Our information indicates that Celine’s car has been in the parking lot since June 20 and we believe she was only equipped for a light day’s walk,” Insp Maingay said in a statement Friday.
“Our thoughts remain with Celine’s family and we continue our efforts to locate her in an effort to get answers at this tragic time.”
“Our thoughts remain with Celine’s family and we continue our efforts to locate her in an effort to get answers at this tragic time.”
She added that no new evidence has been found for her disappearance and that there is no evidence of foul play.
The Philosopher Falls hiking trail will remain closed while the search continues.
Tasmania Police Inspector Anthea Maingay reiterated that Ms Cremer was feared dead after police received expert medical advice showing she could not have survived recent weather conditions had she been exposed in the wilderness.
The police now hope to speak to a walker who was there on Sunday, June 18 at around 2:30 p.m. and may have valuable clues about Mrs Cremer’s whereabouts.
Detective Inspector Darren Hopkins, chief of search and rescue in the state’s north, told ABC said circumstances instead of conducting extensive searches, teams focused their efforts on where missing hikers were likely to be.
“If it’s thick impenetrable undergrowth, then our search groups have to be much closer together, so we need more people to search the same area, and it becomes very difficult to see through the search area,” he said.
The search was hampered by rough weather due to light snowfall in the area and thick undergrowth, but police are confident it is a ‘search and rescue’ operation.
The family has a desperate plea for help to find Ms Cremer, claiming they have had ‘no sign of life’ from her since June 16.
“If you have any information about my sister, please contact me directly or my mother Ariane,” Ms Cremer’s sister, Amelie, wrote on Facebook.
“Please share this post widely and help us find her.” ️
Nighttime temperatures in the area have dropped to around freezing.
A photo posted to Facebook on Feb. 22 shows a playful and smiling Ms. Cremer standing on the wilderness lookout, using her hands to make “devil’s horns” on her head.
The photo is captioned ‘Un petit diable en Tasmanie’ (A little devil in Tasmania).
Police believe that when Ms Cremer left Hobart earlier in June, she intended to travel to Tasmania’s west coast.
A photo posted to Facebook on Feb. 22 shows a playful and smiling Ms. Cremer standing at the wilderness lookout, using her hands to make “devil horns” on her head